This dish is very difficult to make at home. You can order this dish at Dao's TaiPan446 N. Wilmot. Tucson AZ 722-0055

How can I justly translate “Banh Cu?n” into an English? I have no idea. Banh is a basic term equivalent of the English word, pastry. However, in Vietnamese banh can be anything sweet or savory, from cookies to cakes and of course, pastries. Cu?n means to roll. With that said, this dish is called banh cu?n because you take rice flour sheets aka “banh”, you add filling and “cu?n”; roll it up. Banh Cu?n is similar to Chinese rice rolls; the ones served at dim sum that are filled with either shrimp or pork and served with soy sauce. I must say this recipe is only for those truly into cooking. These rolls require time, lots of patience and endurance to hot steam. For those who want the easier road, just buy chinese rice ribbons (premade, the kind they cut up to make chow fun), add filling and roll. These rolls should be somewhat transparent, thin, and have a smooth silky texture.

*Chop onion and fungus. Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan add meat and stir fry for a few mins, add onion, fungus, fish sauce, and pepper. Continue to stir fry on high heat until the onions are transparent. Add salt and sugar to taste.

Making the Wrappers: There are 2 ways to get this job done. The first is the easiest, but taste wise, the second method is the best.

1) Easiest, use a non stick frying pan, heat over medium heat pour in about 3 tbs batter. Tilt and the pan in a circular motion to cream a even round wrapper. Cover for 1 min, “flip” the wrapper out onto a serving try, add filling and roll. Roll and as you make the wrappers.

2) Fill a pot half full with water. Tightly tie a thin piece of cloth on top of the pot. Bring the water to a boil, ladle on some batter and spread it around (the batter will drip to the bottom). Steam for a few mins, now the real work begins. ;) Ladle on some batter and spread it thin, cover and steam for a minute or two. Add filling and roll (using a thin spatula dipped in water). Carefully transfer the rolls onto a plate.

A bit earlier in the fall I spent a couple of deeply pleasant late afternoons shooting just about every vegetable in my house, amongst which at the time were the lovely sage tinted artichoke pictured above.

* For the next little while I'm going to be adding this message beneath the description of my most recent upload or two. I hope no one minds, but I feel I need to share the following with my viewers and Flickr friends. *

Over the course of the spring and summer, I've not been able to spend as much time on Flickr as I would have ideally liked to.This arises largely from matters relating to my health, for as some of you know, I duke it out daily with a number of chronic illnesses. I haven't been having the best of times medically speaking lately, yet saying this carries a sense of irony with it, for spending time taking photos and in turn immersing myself in the resplendent, imaginative, inspiring work of others is often phenomenally cathartic and uplifting.

I apologize to those of you whose streams I used to comment and "fave" on more frequently, as well as to all who have done the same for me and not received a thank you or visit to your stream yet. I truly adore and value each comment my photos receive, and appreciate your visit so very much.

I realize - true to my usual form - I may have been spending an unrealistically sustainable amount of time on Flickr earlier in the year. When I adore something (in this case photography + Flickr) I tend to devote an inordinate amount of time to it, often exceeding what I'm able to physically keep up. Having been at both extremes (hours a day on Flickr, weeks without a single upload), it becomes obvious that, as with most things in life, the key here will be balance - and cutting myself some slack for those days (or even weeks, as the case may be) when I'm not able to focus on Flickr as much as I'd like to.

I believe that as the coming autumn and winter unfold I will hit a more realistic stride in terms of finding a feasible balance that works well for me.

Thank you each deeply for your understanding in this matter.

May the muse of creativity be with you all,¦ Jessica

cooking terms cream

The Dictionary of Food is the indispensable companion for everyone who loves reading about food, or cooking it. We live in a globalised world, and our tastes in food have widened dramatically in recent years. The Dictionary of Food reflects this huge cultural shift. With concise descriptions of dishes, ingredients, equipment, and techniques, it brings the world's cuisines, familiar and less familiar, within our grasp.

'… so interesting that it only stayed on my desk very briefly before it was taken away… invaluable in anyone's kitchen and particularly useful for professional chefs.' - Caroline Waldegrave, Leiths School of Food and Wine

The Dictionary of Food is the indispensable companion for everyone who loves reading about food, or cooking it. We live in a globalised world, and our tastes in food have widened dramatically in recent years. The Dictionary of Food reflects this huge cultural shift. With concise descriptions of dishes, ingredients, equipment, and techniques, it brings the world's cuisines, familiar and less familiar, within our grasp.

'… so interesting that it only stayed on my desk very briefly before it was taken away… invaluable in anyone's kitchen and particularly useful for professional chefs.' - Caroline Waldegrave, Leiths School of Food and Wine